A Series of Unrelated Events
by ScarletAngel68
Summary: A series of unrelated oneshots, each written in exactly fifteen minutes. Except for the ones I cheated on. [Any pairings that show up will be BBRa, RoS, or CyJ.]
1. Fire

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: This entire thing is the result of a LiveJournal community called tt15fics, where a word is given out each week to inspire us. We take the word and write for fifteen minutes, and ta da! Thanks to **Gemkazoni** for creating the community and to brilliant **Jade** for thinking up the title of this series for me!

* * *

**Fire**

Fight fire with fire, was his motto.

...Well, no, it wasn't. But now it was.

Cyborg snickered and looked both ways before exiting his room, hefting over his shoulder a large and suspiciously shaped object in a black garbage bag. He quietly made his way down the hall to Beast Boy's room. He again made sure the coast was clear, placed the bag down carefully by the door, and knocked, remembering to plaster an innocent look upon his face. Beast Boy was getting some pizza in the living room when he had last checked, but a good prankster was never a careless one.

The plan was going smoothly. As he'd expected, there was no answer. When Cyborg stepped in front of the door, however, nothing happened. He sighed and tapped it to make sure. Beast Boy was getting trickier. He must have turned off the automated opening of the door – he probably anticipated some sort of retaliation for last week's pancake-and-hot-sauce fiasco.

But when there's a bump in the road, what do you do? Smooth it down. At least, that's what you do when you have the superhuman strength of a part-robot. Cyborg laughed and pried the door open easily. He grabbed the bag and hopped inside, jerking his arm out of the way of the slamming door in the nick of time.

Cyborg pulled the strangely shaped cardboard figure from his plastic bag as he approached Beast Boy's bunk bed. He tripped. "Ow! Okay, who even plays with Legos at this age?" He stumbled up again and inspected both himself and the cardboard figure. Neither were seriously damaged, though one of the latter's appendages was slightly bent.

Shoving back the covers of the top bunk, he tucked in the flat figure and yanked up the covers again. He let out what might, coming from anyone else, be considered a giggle, and snuck out of the room. The door closed behind him just before Beast Boy rounded the corner.

Beast Boy immediately gave him a suspicious look. "What are you doing here?"

"Just, you know, checking up. Thought you were in your room."

"I wasn't."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "I know that _now_. So...you heading to bed?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Don't let me stop you."

Beast Boy's eyes were still narrowed, but he was finally inching toward his room. "Right. Seeya."

As Beast Boy's door shut behind him, Cyborg snickered. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

Roughly three minutes later, a piercing scream rang out from the direction of Beast Boy's room.

Cyborg had just known that life-size "Wicked Scary" cardboard figure would come in handy someday.


	2. Rain

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.

_Author's Note_: This ficlet is pretty corny. There's just no denying it.

* * *

**Rain**

Beast Boy had strange urges sometimes. No, not those kinds of urges. Just stupid urges, like the sudden urge to read issue #31 of some random comic book, or to walk around the block in the snow, or to eat an apple.

Sitting on his bed watching the rain streaming down his window, he had the unexpected urge to see Raven.

He jumped off his bunk bed and wandered out of his room, intent on finding her. Neither Starfire nor Cyborg had seen her. Robin was alone in the training room. Beast Boy wondered if she was meditating on the roof, though it was raining hard and he couldn't imagine why she'd want to do that. He decided to make sure anyway, and found the roof vacant. But when he peered over the edge of the roof, he saw Raven sitting on a rock by the edge of the shore.

He hopped off the roof and morphed into a seagull halfway down. He had nearly reached her when the strong wind promptly flipped him over. He spun around crazily and finally landed beak-first by Raven's side.

She looked at him, startled. He popped back to human form and greeted her as casually as he could manage. "Hey! Yeah, I meant to do that."

She just looked at him skeptically and turned her face to the sea.

Well, she wasn't the talking type. No problem. He would just sit here...in the rain...not saying a word.

Right.

He was already becoming bored. It was a lot colder than he expected out here. His mind wandered until it hit on a memory, pushed far to the back of his mind, of a day like this one, in this very place, with a girl extraordinarily different from Raven.

"_Beast Boy! Come on out, it's awesome outside, I swear!" Terra grabbed his hand and just about dragged him out the door. "Isn't the rain just incredible?"_

"_Yeah. Yeah, it is." Beast Boy wasn't thinking about the rain as he gazed at her smiling face. _

_Terra threw her arms out and spun around wildly on the rocks, face lifted up toward the rain and mouth wide open, tongue sticking out to catch the raindrops. "Aaall the raindrops, candy drops and gumdrops..."_

Beast Boy closed his eyes in remembrance. That was only three months ago – the beginning of summer. Now summer was ending, and it felt like it had been years. The pain refused to fade. He _missed_ her. He knew he'd never find anyone like her again. He wasn't even so sure, now, that he _wanted_ someone just like her. It would be wrong, to look into someone's face every day and only see someone else. He needed someone different.

He rubbed his face and looked at Raven. She was closing her eyes and tilting her head back. Then, to his surprise, she opened her mouth to catch the drops of water coming down. She didn't stick out her tongue. She must have sensed his look because she opened her eyes and looked back. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just smiled and tilted his head back too. He snuck another glance at her and spotted the corner of her mouth lift up.

It was the end of one season, and the beginning of another.


	3. Confusion

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I should mention that every chapter is named after the word that inspired it. All of the chapters I'm posting now have already been written. After chapter nine, I'll be posting them as I write them, so it'll be about once a week. Just thought that the two people who are reading this should know. Thanks for the reviews, you two!

* * *

**Confusion**

"Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"Beast Boy's sick."

"Oh, no. What'd he say this time?"

"Not that kind of sick, the . . . illness kind of sick."

"Oh! Eh, he'll get over it. Just drop a box of tissues in front of his door and give him a day or two."

"I don't know . . . ."

"You okay, Raven? You look a little pale. More than usual, that is."

"It just looks really bad. I'm a little worried. He's groaning and –"

"Naw, that's just Beast Boy being a drama queen. Even you should know that by now!"

"But his temperature's up and . . . there's really something not normal. He's got red spots all over his face. And he took off his gloves, and they're covered in the spots, too. I don't know what's going on. I think it could be dangerous."

"Are they itching him?"

"Yeah, he mentioned that. And I think he's hallucinating. He said something about chickens. I got confused, but then he burrowed under the blankets and everything was muffled."

"Chicken pox."

"Sorry?"

"That's what he has. He has the chicken pox."

"I don't get it. What are the chicken pox?"

"You don't know what the chicken pox is?" asked Cyborg incredulously.

"Whatever it is, it didn't exist in Azarath. Is it some type of plague? God, is it deadly?"

"Ha! Not remotely, don't worry."

"Well, can you fix it, then?"

"Raven, you don't fix the chicken pox."

"So, what? This is permanent?"

"Don't worry, it goes away in a few days. Hey, what was that?"

"It sounded like a . . . chicken."

"Beast Boy is such a drama queen."


	4. Tender

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I heart Spider-Man!

* * *

**Tender**

"AAIIIEEEE!"

Starfire hurtled into the room, starbolts blazing. "What is it? Who dares alarm my friends? Cyborg, are you undamaged?"

Cyborg was perched on the couch, staring in horror at the television. "The – the – geh."

Starfire tilted her head and floated up to examine the television. "I see nothing amiss. Is it this . . . 'SuperSilent Blender 2000™' that alarms you so?" A movement caught her eye. She looked up and spotted a strange eight-legged creature. "Oh! What is this? A . . . hidden camera? From Slade, perhaps! Oh, Cyborg, thank goodness you spotted it! I shall bring it to Robin directly!"

"No – it's – it's a – it's a _spider_," he said with revulsion.

Starfire leaned in to inspect it more closely. "Ah! So it is! Silly me." She smiled and poked it. "How adorable!" She heard him make a sound behind her and she turned around, beaming. "I see you are speechless as well. It is quite fascinating. But you must be used to seeing these spiders, yes?"

Cyborg opened his mouth long enough to spit out, "I _hate_ spiders," before clamping it shut again.

Her face fell. "Oh. But I hear that they are beneficial . . . ." She turned again and picked the spider up tenderly. "And this one looks very much like the l'kofgas of my planet. This one is much smaller, however. Is only as large as my palm . . . but it is just as furry!"

"_Heeere_, spiderspiderspider! _Heeere_, spiderspiderspider! Oh, hey – you found Spidey!" Beast Boy bounded into the room. "Thanks, Star! I owe you big time. He escaped from my room."

As Starfire handed the spider over sadly, Cyborg asked in disbelief, "You . . . keep spiders in you room?"

Beast Boy snorted. "Shyeah. Where else would I keep them? In the bathroom?" He snickered at the thought, but stopped in mid-laugh. "Oh, crap. That must be where I left Octavius!" He darted out of the room, first spider in hand.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Cyborg moaned.


	5. Wish

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: The words (like last chapter's "Tender") are beginning to have almost nothing to do with the story. This is not because I'm just taking random words for the chapter titles, but because I spend way too much time turning the word over in my brain and thinking of ways to expand on it that by the time I get to writing it, it's completely changed.

* * *

**Wish**

She feels amazingly complete. She has nothing to worry about, _nothing_, not even what cereal she should have for breakfast or what radio station she wants to listen to. There's just the . . . the wholeness. Finally she belongs here, with the earth, every molecule of her is here and now and is not doing anything wrong, for once. She is one with the earth (even if she knows that sounds so overdone and a little silly, it's not; it's just what it is). She is truly _Terra_.

But all that aside, she still gets really bored.

She wishes she could have something to do, because she's an action gal, even as her entire being revels in the understanding that she doesn't have to do _anything_. She wishes someone would talk to her. Someone did. She remembers him . . . mostly. Sweet and fun and he visited and kept the boredom away. He doesn't come so much anymore, and it's sometimes hard to remember what he was like, what happened before, because being this means just that. Just being. What happened in the past doesn't matter anymore.

When she gets really bored, though, she makes a game out of remembering. Did she have parents? No, she can't remember that far back. More recently. There is the one that visits her sometimes, and thinking of him keeps her from being bored for a long time. Then there's someone else with one eye and strong arms that held her and hurt her. He's not boring, either, but thinking of that one makes her restless and want to do something. Punch something. So she usually thinks of the other one with the green eyes and the happy voice. But even that doesn't keep the boredom away forever, and those times she wishes she could get out. She wishes it so bad.

Then one day there's a shudder and a crack and burst of _feeling_ that has nothing to do with emotions and everything to do with her arms and legs and neck that feel like they're about to move in the first time in she doesn't know how long, and then she _sees_. Light, it's there, and voices.

Her body cries out for it to stop, to let her go back to the earth, but at least she knows she's not going to be bored again for a while now.


	6. Hair

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Ever notice how much cooler Cartoon!Robin's hedgehog hair is than the forty-year-old-man look Comic!Robin's got going on? Even if he _does _have a lot of hair gel.

* * *

**Hair**

"Hey, it's nice to meet you."

"Yeah. Heh, nice hair." The green kid snickered.

Dick frowned and patted his neatly parted hair. "What do you mean?"

He saw Raven lean in and whisper something into the green kid's ear. The kid paled. "Oh. You're our new leader, huh? Uh . . . hey. I'm . . . ."

"Beast Boy."

"Okay, you already know me. Cool." He didn't look like he thought this was cool at all.

"I'll show him up to his room," said Raven quietly.

She started to lead Beast Boy up the stairs, but Dick motioned to her and hissed, "What is wrong with my hair?" He made sure the green kid couldn't hear him.

"_Nothing_. You people here are so paranoid." She turned back and left the room with Beast Boy.

He walked over to the window and checked his reflections. Not a strand out of place. _What's wrong with it?_ He remembered Beast Boy's spiky hair, seemingly gravity-defying. Was that what it was? His hair was too . . . neat? He considered it. He supposed it could use a makeover. New city, new teammates, a leader for the first time. It was a time for changes. But if he changed it, wouldn't the others think he was easily influenced by others' opinions? But maybe they would think he was too stubborn if he _didn't_.

He wondered if that girl, Starfire, liked his hair as it was.

The next morning he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The gel in his hair smelled atrocious. He grimaced. He'd attempted to make his hair spiky like Beast Boy's – just to see how it looked – and realized halfway through that his hair was way longer than Beast Boy's. Now whose hair was gravity-defying?

He scowled at the mirror and moved to turn on the shower. At that moment, the alarm went off.

Dick – _Robin now_, he told himself – swore profusely and ran out.

Beast Boy and Cyborg stared as he entered the common room, then turned to each other and smirked. Raven didn't seem to react, but on second glance, he noticed that she had raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Robin! Your hair is adorable!" Starfire giggled, and gently poked it.

Robin felt himself turn red and said loudly, "Titans, let's go!" Internally, he made a note to spike his hair up again, and to get some better-smelling gel.


	7. Confession

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire. (Or Cyborg/Jinx!)

_Author's Note_: This isn't my best – unfortunately, I wasn't able to take it to a place I wanted to go. And speaking of places you don't want to go, anybody see "The Prophecy"? Whew. Not as intense as I would have wanted; it seemed like a clone of "Birthmark" to me. And I think Slade has developed a case of scoliosis. But I'm interested in where this plot arc is going. I'm all sad that next week is apparently not a continuation of it.

* * *

**Confession**

"Wow. You guys do this old school, huh?" Jinx examined the lattice window that obscured her view of the priest. "So is this thing so I don't feel all weird telling a complete stranger my secrets, or is it just a precaution so that criminals don't like, tell you who they murdered and then kill you?"

"Mainly the former."

Jinx smirked. "Right."

"Now. Why are you here?"

"I have no one to talk to. Even if Mammoth and Gizmo and me hadn't sort of drifted lately, they're just not the type you can talk to about these things." Jinx sat carefully down on the wooden bench, the wood worn smooth over the years by sinners before her. "I know you're probably not the type for 'girl talk,' and I'm not spiritual at all – I'd probably be going straight to hell, anyway, so what's the point? – but some anonymous guy who's supposed to listen to everything you say and not condemn you for it seems as good a person to talk to as any, right?"

"I suppose," said the priest slowly. "Do you have anything to confess?"

"Um. No."

". . . I see. Not feeling guilty about anything?"

"Nope."

"Nothing?" he asked skeptically.

"Guilt isn't the kind of thing you can afford to have in my line of work." She paused. "Okay, there was that one time I accidentally tripped that old lady. But I sent her wallet back with a bouquet of carnations, so no more guilt there."

"But you must be here for a reason."

". . . There's maybe one thing. There's this . . . guy."

She saw the silhouette of the priest nod.

"I liked him. A lot. But he wasn't who I thought he was."

"You were hurt?"

"Yeah."

"And you feel you cannot forgive him?"

"Oh, no, I can. I did. I was mad at him for a while there, but . . . hey, I'd probably do the same thing in his place. Maybe. I mean, he didn't mean to hurt us . . . but I just don't think I'm supposed to forgive him. Or still have feelings for him. If the others knew, they'd have conniptions."

"Some would say . . . that you should not care what others think. If you are _convinced_ that he is good for you, and that he will not hurt you again, then maybe following your heart is best."

Jinx was silent for a while. Then: ". . . What is this, an after school special? God. I'm out of here."

She stalked out, muttering, "What was I expecting, anyway? A magical cure? Frickin' nutters, the clergy - he's a _Titan_. Yeah, that'd work out." She laughed a little to herself, and decided that it was time to move on.

Maybe.


	8. Cooperation

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Beast Boy and I have something in common. We both love conversation! But this ficlet is about Beast Boy, because he's the one with the rope. And I'm sorry if this chapter is confusing or anything; I was trying out a new style. Oh, and the anvil at the end? I'm sorry for that, too. I guess I watched too many Roadrunner gags.

**Cooperation**

Oh, come on, Raven. Just cooperate! All I want is a little conversation, and you make me do this. We're a team; we should work together in harmony!

No, I don't hear birds singing. Why do you ask?

Ow! Hey, stop yelling. My ears are very sensitive – ow! I didn't want to do this, but . . . gah! Did you just seriously bite me? Hmph. Maybe I should've made it a muzzle instead of a gag. You don't have rabies, do you? Geez, just checking.

Anyway. Those ropes aren't chafing you, are they? Here, lemme loosen them a little. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. No, really! See, you're even in the cushioned chair. There you go, nice and loose. Yeah, my knots are pretty good. My dad taught me how. He was in boy scouts. No way you're getting out of those. Unless you, you know, go all power-y and break them. I know you can, but I really hope you won't. 'Cause they're Robin's ropes, and I think he'd be pretty pissed if he found out I was using them. So this'll be our little secret, okay?

What?

Sorry, I can't tell what you're saying.

Here, I'll take off the gag if you promise not to yell or bite me again.

So, what were you saying?

Oh, you wanted me to take off the gag.

Yeah. So, all I want is a conversation, okay? Just one! So I can, you know, say that we've actually talked before. And not one of those meaningful talks that teach me a lesson. Just an actual conversation between friends.

. . . So, what's up?

Besides being tied up. Geez.

Read any good books? Dude, I read this awesome comic book the other day. There was this group of superheroes, and they totally kicked butt! Like, us, huh? Except that we're way cooler. Ha, my favorite character was totally the funny guy. He was pretty much comic relief, but he had these amazing powers, and he was really deep. No, seriously. Like, he has this horrible past, but he still jokes and stuff. It's because he's insecure or something stupid like that, but whatever, I got some good jokes from him. And I think he has a crush on this girl on the team, but she doesn't notice him. He's always screwing up in front of her and she always ends up beating him up. She's cool, though. I mean, even though they're just comic book characters, you completely get into it, you know? It's like they're real. I'm really rooting for that guy to get the girl, 'cause, you know, one small step for him, one big step for dorks everywhere. But I guess they won't. They're so different, he's got no chance. It's too bad.

Huh. I just got déjà vu for some reason. Isn't it funny when that happens and you don't know why?

Raven?

Are you awake?

. . . Raven?


	9. Money

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: My personal favorite. I also love how money has nearly nothing to do with any of this.

* * *

**Money**

"Today," Beast Boy announced dramatically as he burst into the common room, "is _the_ worst day _ever_."

"Worse than when I sent you to that dimension full of shrimp?"

"Worse."

"Worse than that time you fell off the roof and forgot to shape-shift?"

There was a pause, and then he nodded.

"That _is_ bad. What sort of catastrophe happened this time, and why haven't I heard about it on the news yet?"

"Because it wasn't one _huge_ thing. It's just been one of those days where a bunch of little things go wrong, and they all add up to make one huge stupid day."

"Let me guess. You're going to tell me all about it?"

Beast Boy pulled out a bucket of chocolate-vanilla-swirl cookie dough ice cream and pointed a spoon at Raven. "You betcha."

"I can hardly contain my excitement."

"Please?"

"Get me a spoon, too."

Beast Boy plunked the ice cream down and opened the drawer. "First, I wake up two hours early and can't get back to sleep. Then, after I finally do . . . I end up sleeping too late and have Rob yelling at me for being late for training. Two. Cyborg blames me for putting a virus on his computer, even though he _knows_ I haven't gone near it since the The Virus Incident. Three. I trip and scrape my knee. Four. I bruise my elbow on the table." He dropped a spoon on the counter. "Five. Cyborg throws away ALL the tofu. Six. I go to my room to find money to buy more tofu, can't find any, clean and vacuum so that I can find stuff better, and end up vacuuming all my money by accident. Breaking the vacuum in the process, by the way. Seven. The toilet gets stuck and we don't have a plunger. Eight. Robin blames it on Slade. Nine. Star totally hits on Rob and he doesn't even notice! And ten . . . I lost my lucky nickel."

Raven had picked up the spoon and was chipping at the smooth surface of the ice cream in the bucket. "Mm. Sucks."

He sighed. "Yeah. And that was just a summary. I didn't even go into Silky and his digestion issues . . . ."

Raven pursed her lips and stood up. "I'll be right back. Leave me some ice cream."

When she returned a half hour later, she found a bowl of partially melted ice cream and a yawning Beast Boy waiting for her.

"Scooped some for you. Where were you? What's in the bag?"

Raven dropped the bag next to the counter and summoned the spoon to her hand. "Alarm clock. Band-aids. Tofu waffles. Plunger, half price." She dipped the spoon into the ice cream. "Ordered a new vacuum." She took a bite and stopped a moment to savor the taste. "I took Cyborg's car. I think I may have lost the key, along with the key to the closet that I accidentally locked Robin and Starfire in. Whoops."

She took two keys from the shopping bag and pocketed them.

"And I got a nickel in change for the waffles. Here." She slid the nickel over the counter to him.

Beast Boy stared at the coin. Then he stared at Raven. He was silent for some time.

Raven blinked impassively and watched a drop of ice cream drip from her spoon.

"I love you," Beast Boy said weakly.

Raven's mouth twitched. "Eat your ice cream."


	10. Prisoner

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Robin always did have the most horrible luck. Okay, maybe not _that_ horrible. (These are supposed to be unrelated, but I couldn't help continuing with "Money." This is the only pair of ficlets which will have anything to do with each other. Maybe.)

* * *

**Prisoner**

"Dammit, locked!"

"Robin, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He couldn't see her at all. "Where are you?"

"I am here." He felt a hand brush against his hip. "Ah, and there you are. I was afraid I would hit you."

"Yeah. Not even sure how big this closet is. How long do you think we're stuck?"

"I am sure that Raven must be getting Cyborg to open the closet for us."

"Somehow I don't think that was her intention when she left us in here . . . ."

"Perhaps we should call for help."

"No use. The walls in the Tower are virtually soundproof. But maybe . . . ." Robin fiddled with his utility belt. "No! I left the skeleton key in my room – and there isn't even a keyhole from this side, anyway." He exhaled and pounded a fist against the door. "Gah, just kill me now."

"Robin." He stiffened a little at the puff of warm breath on the back of his neck. "I hope you do not find my company so unpleasant that you would resort to death to get away from me . . . ." Her voice was teasing, but he sensed the tiniest hint of displeasure.

"It's not you, Star." _Yes, it is_. "I'm just irritated that I can't get us out of this." _And that I'm stuck in an extremely enclosed space with you and your hand keeps brushing my arm. Well, crap._ "And, there's the toilet . . . it's still stuck, and you know . . . ."

"I assure you, Robin, Slade is not plotting the demise of our plumbing."

"Yeah. Sure."

Starfire let out a breath of laugh. Robin snuck a glance at her and then remembered that it was pitch black. He leaned back against the wall. "What do you think we should do while we wait?" he asked, resigned to his fate.

Starfire was silent for some time. Then: "Well, I can think of one thing."

"What?"

"Guess!" She laughed.

"Er . . . twenty questions?"

He heard a small sigh. "No, Robin. Monopoly."

He knitted his eyebrows. "We can't play Monopoly in the dark."

"No, no. I was using what I believe is called sarcasm."

"Oh. Well, that's new."

They were silent for some time.

"What were you thinking of?"

He felt a warm hand on his cheek. "This," she whispered, and she pressed her lips to his.


	11. Truth

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Real men wear purple.

* * *

**Truth**

"Okay. Tell me the truth."

"Gravity . . . well, it pulls us to the earth, Beast Boy. I didn't want to be the one to break the news to you, but since you insisted . . . ."

"No, about how I look!"

Raven looked up casually and then returned to her book.

Then she did a double take.

There was Beast Boy, standing in the doorway uneasily in . . . red and white spandex. On closer inspection, it became apparent that he was also wearing a red cape, which fluttered lightly in the breeze from the window.

"You . . . changed it. You changed your uniform."

"Yeah." Beast Boy shifted from one foot to the other. "I've been getting mail. They say I look girly in purple." He frowned. "This one doesn't fit me really well. It kinda bunches up."

"You changed your uniform because some _civilians _told you that the color was girly."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Pretty much. _Does_ it look . . . ?"

"It doesn't matter how it looked. You were happy with your old suit, weren't you?"

"Well, yeah. I was. It was a lot more comfy. Plus, I liked my belt."

"Then go change back. Don't conform just because some people you've never met told you to."

"But I kinda like the red."

Raven glared. "The cape makes you look girly."

Beast Boy sighed and went back to change.


	12. Delicate

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I like the end. I won't say anything about the rest.

* * *

**Delicate**

I think a law of physics has been broken, because . . . it looks like _you're_ broken, and that's not supposed to happen.

You thought that guy cared about you, and now it turns out that he's been jerking you around this whole time. I can see it all from the glimpse I caught of your face and the catch in your voice when you told me just to go. Believe me, I know the feeling.

What I can't get my head around is that you let him in like that in the first place. You've never . . . you've never let any of us in, least of all me. What was so great about this guy? How could he have brought you down like this? He couldn't have. You're the strongest person I know. It's against the rules.

When I see you kneeling on the floor, looking so utterly defeated, it makes me scared. Can it be the end of the world? That's the only time I ever would have expected you to show weakness like that.

I think that maybe I was wrong when you come back up with metaphorical guns ablazin'. Maybe you've decided on the "don't get mad, get even" path. This would be like you.

But then you get even, and you're still broken.

You're my friend. Also, I really have to make sure that the end of the world doesn't come too early. This is why I'm at your door now. I decide not to tell you about how you being like this makes me so afraid, because then you'll just yell at me.

On second thought, that might not be such a bad idea. The Raven I know yells at me a lot. But I decide instead to tell you what I wanted someone to tell me when . . . uh, you know.

So I tell you that you aren't alone.

I guess it's the right thing to say, because you come out of your room.

But now you're hugging me.

Okay, don't get me wrong. I like hugging. You hugging me is _not_ exactly the worst thing I could possibly think of. In fact, under other circumstances, I'd say it could be downright pleasant. But right now I need to know that you're the real Raven again, and the Raven I know – the strong one who I need to come back so that the world can be right again – she doesn't hug.

This you is fragile. I'm afraid to hug you back because you'll crumble away. I pull back delicately, not sure what to say to get you back to normal.

"Uh . . . ."

Suddenly my entire head is swallowed by the worst smell that has ever graced this earth. I know immediately what it is, and it's so utterly, nauseatingly bad, I can't help but be a little proud.

Still, _gross_.

As my eyes finally get uncrossed, I see you picking the stankball up and examining it. This evil look crosses your face, like you're going to enjoy whatever you're about to do.

Cyborg screams.

All's right in the world again.


	13. Missing

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: This was the first thought that popped into my brain when I saw the word. I think this idea is a bit darker than what I normally expect from myself.

* * *

**Missing**

Robin opens his eyes and looks dully around the empty room. The sharp smell of disinfectant disquiets him. He lies on a hospital bed, covered by a single white sheet that does nothing to ward off the chill in the room. He tries to lift the sheet to inspect his condition, but finds that he had no hands with which to lift it. He looks at the bandage-wrapped stumps that were his arms.

That is strange.

His eyes flutter closed again.

_A man in civilian clothes and a ski mask. Should be an easy one to take down. The man drops the bag of loot and pulls a katana from a scabbard on his back. Robin narrows his eyes. This is an unexpected development. The professional way in which he holds his stance, waiting, belies his façade of an everyday petty criminal. Robin is at his quickest, soon slipping into the zone that he is most comfortable in, that world that consists only of the fight – the punch and the breath and the kick and the beat of the heart. _

_That familiar world shatters as he jumps too soon. When he comes down the sweep of his opponent's leg knocks Robin off his feet. The katana comes slicing through the air. If Robin had not thrown up his arms, the blade would surely have severed his head clean off. Instead, his arms take the blow. A punch to his jaw cuts the explosion of pain short, knocking him back down and into unconsciousness._

Starfire is sleeping in a chair by his side when he wakes up again.

His hands are still inexplicably missing.

He must be in Mad Mod's world.

He looks curiously at his arms. They now stop just below the elbow.

He looks out the window to his right. It is nice and sunny outside, and he can see a cloud shaped like a dinosaur and

**ohgodhehasnohands**.

How did this happen? This has never happened. He has never lost this badly. A panic grows in his chest. He has no hands. His hands are – were – his life. How will he fight? Put together a gadget? Play a video game? Run his fingers through Starfire's hair?

The stark reality of his situation is slowly sinking in.

How will he be a Titan?

Starfire's head nods and she starts. "Robin?" She sees that he is awake. "Oh, Robin!"

"Starfire . . . my hands," he whispers.

"It will be all right. There will be difficulties, but we can overcome them! There are other ways of combat in which you will still be able to train . . . ."

Robin swallows. "Not now, Star," he says quietly.

"Oh. I see."

"You can . . . go."

She looks hurt but still concerned as she leaves the room reluctantly.

He has only a few minutes of peace, however.

"Rob?"

"Cyborg."

"I've got . . . somebody. Somebody here I think you should meet."

"Bring him in."

A tall black man wearing glasses enters the room. His hand twitches, likely because he had just stopped it from lifting to try to shake Robin's, the teen thinks bitterly. "Hello, Robin. My name is Dr. Stone, and I work for an experimental branch of S.T.A.R. Labs . . . ."


	14. Dance

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: As much as I would like to pursue the plot of "Missing," my muse says no. I did say that these were unrelated events, right? Perhaps I will write a companion ficlet sometime. For now, I present to you this overly sappy Robin/Starfire ficlet. "Date With Destiny" just seems to be the first thing I think when I hear "dance." How unoriginal of me.

* * *

**Dance**

I'm not the poetic type – but I can't help but notice. Maybe it's one of the reasons I feel about her the way I do. Or maybe I only see her that way because of the way I feel about her.

She moves as if she's always dancing.

The first time I ever saw her, she beamed and held out her hand. My first thought was that she was going to ask me to dance. I probably would have said yes.

She twirls in the air when she's spectacularly happy. You have to watch her hair when she does that, because that's when it swirls in the air like she's underwater, and you'll be able to see every color in it, the shades of copper that sparkle gold in sunlight.

But it's when she fights that I know I'm crazy about her.

Every move she makes demonstrates her passion. She narrows her eyes in defiance. A long, slim arm punches through a wall, packing force that no human could dream of possessing. She rockets through the air, glowing starbolts at the ready. It's more beautiful than any choreographed dance.

And now she's placing my hands on her waist and resting her arms on my shoulders. It is the first time that I've seen her dance for real. It seems to come as naturally for her as fighting or flying. I marvel at the way she navigates the dance floor, and I envy her, because . . . well, I suck at real dancing.


	15. Ordinary

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I fiddled with this weird narrator voice. I was thinking of "The Hobbit," where Tolkien sounds like he heard the story from someone else and is now telling it to you. Yeah, Beast Boy and I are tight like this. _Scarlet crosses her fingers._

* * *

**Ordinary  
**

Beast Boy hardly remembers being ordinary. 

In fact, he has only one memory that challenges the notion that he was born like this. A cat scratched him on the arm. He remembers looking at the cut and seeing the sharp contrast of blood against pale white skin. Then he cried and someone put a band-aid on it, and the memory ends.

He does not know what color his hair was – blonde? Black? Were his eyes hazel, like his mother's? What would he have been like if he had never caught that disease? What if his father had created an antidote with no side effects?

These are the questions that he does not ask himself. This is not because it hurts too much to think about or anything like that. He does not ask because he simply does not care.

There are ordinary all around him. He saves them every day. He knows that his friends, Cyborg and Raven, want to be like these people. They seem to think that these people are happy because they are normal.

Beast Boy considers this (and he implores you to forgive his language) complete bullshit. He knows that every single one of these people wish to be special in some way. They want something to set themselves apart from the rest.

He does not wish to be one of these people. He likes himself just the way he is. Out of the ordinary.

You may wonder why this is. Who would want to be green for all of their lives? Does that fang ever bother him? Why does he not ever want to give up his powers to live a normal life?

His answer is this: Imagine for a moment if he were ordinary.

He would not be vegetarian. Barbarous! He shudders at the very thought. Yes, please stop imagining _that_. Honestly, how disgusting.

Imagine if he fought someone. Surely, his opponent would thoroughly trounce him. He has always been rather skinny, a little awkward on his feet. Without the extensive training he has been through in order to hone his fighting skills, improve his agility and reaction time, and gain control over his powers…well, he would hate to see the clumsy mess that he would be now.

All the hardships that he has experienced have taught him that a sense of humor is a necessary survival skill. Even if his friends claim not to appreciate his sense of humor (he knows they are just in denial), it certainly gets _him_ through the day. Think of the bore he would have been in this hypothetical "ordinary" life.

And without these powers of his, he would have had no hope of ever becoming a Titan. That sense of being able to help people every day would be gone. His friends would be strangers whose names he read in the newspaper. He would never meet Cyborg, the best friend he had ever had. The thought horrifies him.

And, of course, the thrill of the fight would be a significant loss. That rush of adrenaline as he faces the opponent is a high that he would not give up for the world. At this very moment, he is still, waiting for the instant to strike. His pulse is already quickening.

No, Beast Boy thinks as he runs his tongue over his teeth, waiting, ordinary is so very overrated.


	16. Kidnapping

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Went a little over the fifteen-minute limit, but it wasn't finished yet! Yeah, I know. Excuses, excuses. So now it is finished. Yey!

* * *

**Kidnapping**

Emily Burden has been missing for three hours. It's all Beast Boy's fault. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Raven says when he tells her this, so he doesn't mention it again. But he knows.

Cinderblock had sent him skidding backwards, and he put his hand down to slow down. He nearly collided with a tiny girl standing in the street, staring in fascination at the battle. He scooped her up and darted to the sidewalk, setting her down in front of the grocery store. She smiled up at him beatifically, brilliant blue eyes conspicuous under her long dark bangs. He grinned quickly and looked around. "Hey, hon," said a voice, and a tall woman came up and took the girl's hand. "Let's get you to mommy."

"'Kay," said the girl amiably.

Beast Boy thanked the woman and, hearing a crash behind him, returned to the fray.

An hour later, a hysterical woman was screaming at the Titans that someone had kidnapped her daughter, waving around a ransom note and a photo of the blue-eyed girl.

Now it's been three hours and five minutes, and Robin wants them to sweep the area again, even though they already have twice. Then a short guy taps Starfire on the shoulder. "Excuse me, miss, but I saw a woman and a man heading down an alley that-a-ways just a little while ago," he says softly. "And they had sunglasses, despite that it's so overcast –"

"Two people with sunglasses?" Robin asks skeptically. "I'm sorry, sir, but that's not really a cause for..."

The man, miffed, says, "I wasn't finished. The man had a trash bag, and it was _moving_."

The Titans are bursting through a basement door in a back alley within five minutes. "We've got you cornered!" yells Robin. Beast Boy clenches his fists and tries to look menacing. They hear a door slam on the other side of the basement. "Titans, go!" They spring forward, but all stop short as a heartbreaking sob pierces the air. The crying continues, growing louder. Starfire finds the source first, a large wooden box, and on prying it open, they find Emily Burden inside. She's tied up and unconscious – their relief turns to confusion as they realize that she is not the source of the sobbing. A Mickey Mouse lunchbox rests on her stomach. Starfire picks it up slowly, and it becomes apparent that the crying is coming from the lunchbox itself.

It's so loud that Beast Boy is the only one to hear the ticking.

He panics. On impulse, he shifts into a falcon, snatches the lunchbox from her hands, flies up and crashes through one of the basement's small windows. As he flies higher, his mind is a muddle. How stupid. Raven could have easily covered the bomb up with her powers. But she didn't hear it, and who knows how long until it blows? The tinny sound of weeping and the incessant ticking don't allow him to focus. So many people. Can't drop it here. He scans the ground desperately and spots an empty parking lot that will probably be his best bet. He flies over it, releases the lunchbox, and pumps his wings harder than ever. Three seconds later, there's a blast behind him and Beast Boy's world suddenly consists of only unbearable heat.

He wakes up bandaged more than a mummy. He looks around wildly. "Relax." Raven is sitting next to him, and she graces him with a rare smile.

"Is Emily okay?"

"Hiya." The small girl steps out from behind Raven. "Thanks for saving my life, mister."

Her tight hug pains his broken ribs, but he beams and hugs her back anyway.


	17. Miracle

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I, too, used to like this song. Shhh. Don't judge me.

* * *

**Miracle**

"_Miracles happen, once in a while . . ."_

Robin bobbed his head slightly.

"_When you believe_ . . ."

Beast Boy slowly turned his head.

"_You showed me dreams come to light . . ._"

He quietly bumped his elbow into Cyborg's arm. Cyborg blinked and looked away from the screen a moment.

Robin moved his lips slightly along with the words.

Cyborg made a choking sound and refused to make eye contact with Beast Boy, who was shoving nachos into his mouth to disguise his own snicker.

"_This is our moment, you and I are looking up . . ._"

Raven looked inquisitively at Cyborg, who tilted his head in Beast Boy and Robin's direction silently. Beast Boy leaned over Cyborg under the guise of handing Raven some napkins and whispered in her ear. Raven bent forward and peered at Robin.

Robin hummed almost imperceptibly. He continued to nod his head along with the music.

"_I don't need wings to help me fly . . ._"

Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg glanced at each other. All three simultaneously reached for the popcorn, and for the remainder of the song their entire attention was focused on the crunch of the kernels in their mouths.

Starfire finally flicked the television off and stood. "Thank you so much, friends, for watching 'Diaries of the Princess' with me! I know you were all reluctant to do so, and . . ."

"Oh, it was no problem," Robin said, standing as well.

She beamed at him. "And I am glad that you enjoyed the song at the end, Robin!"

He blinked. "Uh, well, actually, it's not really my type of music . . ."

Beast Boy's hand flew to his mouth and Cyborg pulled him up. "So, I'm gonna go do . . . computer things, and BB's coming with me to help, and Raven's coming, too, and we're going, bye!" He sped out of the common room with the other two in tow. There was an explosion of cackling just as the doors closed behind them.


	18. Whisper

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I figure Raven and Beast Boy have been dancing around each other for so long, they might as well get a break for one chapter. Just this one, mind you!

* * *

**Whisper**

He murmurs nothings into her ear – not sweet nothings, just nothings. Things like, "Did you know that hummingbirds can beat their wings up to two hundred times a second?" and "Why did the jedi go to the dark side? Because he was forced to."

She tells him that he doesn't have to whisper these things. She says that it's normally when you have a secret that you whisper. He tells her that that isn't the point.

She always asks him, "Well, what _is _the point?" even though she already knows because she's asked him before.

And he says, "Because I can," like whispering in her ear is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest.

She asked him once why he doesn't whisper stupid romantic things, like in the movies Starfire watches. He confessed that it was because he couldn't think of anything good to say, and that time that he told her that the night sky reminded him of her eyes, well, that was pretty much the most romantic thing he could think up, and he didn't think he could really top it anyway. But knowing that he was allowed to say things like that now made him feel special, so he figured he would practice whispering in her ear, because what if he thought of something awesomely romantic to say, but then he bungled it up just because he couldn't remember how?

She pointed out that he'd done it fine the first time. He'd shrugged and said that it wasn't like he _minded_ practicing. It gave him an excuse to get closer to her, and he could even put an arm around her while he did it if it looked like she was in a good mood, and that was always nice.

She thought it was nice, too, but saying it out loud would probably sound mushy, so she didn't. But the next time he put his arm around her, she smiled at him and asked in a whisper if he knew that giraffes are unable to cough.

He grinned and said that yeah, he knew from experience, and then kissed her.


	19. Hero

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I want to be this kid, just to meet Cyborg.

* * *

**Hero**

Grownups always ask what I want to be when I grow up, but when I say, "A Teen Titan," they just laugh at me. _They're _the ones that asked. It's not fair, they never laugh at Donna when she say she wants to be a ballerina, and being a superhero is _way _cooler than _that_.

I went to work with Dad today and he said we could go out and look at the T-Tower when he's done, and maybe we'll see the Titans this time. I knew we wouldn't, 'cause they never come out when I'm watching, but then I got a plan. I snuck out while Dad was stacking boxes, and ran across the street to the lake by myself.

I figured they might come out if I tricked them and hid behind a tree, but then a car pulled up and I heard somebody come up. "Hey, little man, where's your mom?" I didn't say anything, because I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, _especially _ones with cars, even though I don't know why because cars are way awesome. But he tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked up, and it was CYBORG.

So I go, "She's at home," so he asks where my dad is, and I say that he's across the street, and he's like, "oh, I'll take you there, but I wanted to go to the T-Tower with him. "You do, do you?"

"Yeah, because I'm gonna live there."

"Oh, you gonna be a Titan?" When I told him yeah, he didn't laugh at me either. He just asked what my powers were.

"I'll do kung fu like Robin, and turn into animals like Beast Boy! And I'll have a laser cannon, a real one. Then Donna wouldn't take my stuff anymore." I pointed my finger at him and went, "Boom!"

Cyborg grinned and said, "Don't you want powers like Raven and Starfire's?"

"Their powers are okay, but they're _girls_. I'd look lame."

He laughed and went, "Hey, they're cooler than you think. Maybe you can meet them sometime and find out for yourself." Then his arm started beeping, so he brought me back across the street and drove away. My dad came out and got mad because I ran off by myself, and I don't think he believed me when I said I saw Cyborg.

But that's okay, 'cause it was _so wicked cool._


	20. Heart

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: School has started. I've opted for a healthier lifestyle. Instead of buying fries every day for lunch, I have decided to buy Lucky Charms! Healthy, magically delicious, _and _cheaper than fries. Y'all are missing out.

* * *

**Heart**

Cyborg rubbed his hands together greedily as he set himself down at the table. Syrup oozed down the mountain of waffles in front of him He licked his lips. Nothing could save those poor waffles now. 

"Cyborg!"

"Eh?" He tore his gaze away from the plate.

"Why do you eat waffles when you could have _these_?" Starfire lovingly placed a bowl of Lucky Charms on the table.

". . . Because waffles are better," he told her frankly.

She gasped. "What!" Her eyes wide, she shook her head condescendingly. "Clearly you have not triedthese Charms of Luck. They are – why, are the marshmallow bits not the most adorable things you have ever seen? Examine the tiny pink hearts!"

Cyborg rolled his eye. "Starfire, Starfire, Starfire. Observe," he said, "the golden brown of these waffles. The way the butter melts almost instantly, pooling in each hollowed square. The syrup that cascades down like rivers of . . . well, _syrup_! And just look at the way the pile of waffles sways enticingly, like –" he hesitated as he stared hungrily at his breakfast.

Starfire took advantage of the pause and jumped in. "But this cereal offers an excellent source of whole grain! The Dietary Guidelines state that consuming at least three servings of whole grains per day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and may help with weight management. Those, on the other hand," she said, pointing at his waffles disdainfully, "are . . . are . . . ."

"A heart attack waiting to happen?"

"Yes!"

"Ha! I don't have to worry about heart disease. Nothing but metal," he said, tapping at his chest. "There's nothing stopping me. And these waffles are more magically delicious than your cereal will ever be." He set his fork loudly down on the table to emphasize his point.

Starfire huffed and did the same thing with her spoon. "Pink hearts."

He banged his fork on the table again. "Magically delicious."

"Pink hearts!"

"Magically delicious!"

"Pink hearts!" She slammed the spoon down on the table too hard, however, and her bowl of cereal went flying into the air, splattering milk against the walls. She let out an "Eep!" and sat down quickly.

"Waffles?" Cyborg slid his plate over to her.

"Yes, please," she said sheepishly.


	21. Ashamed

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Well, this only took me about six weeks to get around to writing. Go, me.

* * *

**Ashamed  
**

Jinx crept up behind Cyborg and threw her arms around his waist, then laughed as he jumped about a mile into the air. "Honey, I'm home!"

"Christ! I can't believe you . . . ."

"What, did I startle you?" she asked innocently.

"Of course not," he scoffed unconvincingly. "But if I _had _been surprised, I could have . . . killed you!"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You badass superheroes in your frilly aprons."

Cyborg glanced down at the cheery yellow apron he was wearing. "You don't like it? I thought it flattered my girlish figure."

"It's darling, but it's just not your color."

"What? Yellow is _so _my color."

"Too manly. You should have a nice, light pink . . . ."

He rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "Shut up," he said, and shoved a mini waffle into her mouth. "You've got no taste, anyway. Your socks are stupid."

"Mmmrph!" she retorted.

"Fine, and how was your day?"

She swallowed with a great effort. "I resented that comment about my socks. I think they're cool. And . . . the day was pretty uneventful. Did rake in a nice profit, though."

"Oh, God, I don't want to know."

"Fine, then. What did you do today?"

"Oh, the usual – saved a couple of lives, grabbed some pizza, stopped a bank heist."

Jinx grinned and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. "Naughty boy. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"Yeah, well, you know you love the bad boys."

"They're just so irresistible . . . ." She pulled his head down and kissed him, but they were interrupted seconds later by a sound she had learned, after only a few short weeks, to detest.

"Your arm is ringing," she told him irritably.

He sighed and turned on his communicator. She'd already pulled away and was on her way out the door by the time he looked up. "I've gotta –"

She waved it off with a flick of her hand. "I know. Go, save the world, defend the American way, help little old ladies across the street." Sometimes she wondered whether all this sneaking around worth the trouble.

She started to leave, but he jogged up the stairs and grabbed her hand. "Same time next week?"

"Guess so."

He caught her by the waist and she only had time to let out a little squeak before he kissed her, dipping her back like they were in some kind of movie. He returned her to an upright position several seconds later, leaving her considerably more disheveled than she had been. She sighed with satisfaction. "And I wonder why I keep you."


	22. Kiss

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Mm. I skipped a couple of words. I'll go back and do them later. So, this ficlet was a little...odd. It didn't turn out quite as I expected. Yes, let's just go with that. I hope you guys enjoy it, though.

* * *

**Kiss  
**

"Hey!" Beast Boy flipped onto the couch, spilling candy everywhere. "Have fun without us?"

"Barrels," Raven replied from her side of the couch. She tried to continue reading, but Beast Boy kept talking as he began to gather his candy back into his bag.

"Dude. You totally should have come. Like, everybody gave us twice as much candy, and we ran into this group of guys who were dressed as pirates and stealing little kids' candy, and we _so _kicked their asses. It was great. So, seriously. What'd you do while we were gone?"

"Read."

Beast Boy chuckled. "Figures." He settled onto the couch, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees

They lapsed into silence, save for the occasional crinkle of a candy wrapper or the turning of a page.

"Kiss?"

Raven's head snapped up. "_What?_"

Then she looked down and realized that there were Hershey kisses lying on the palm of his outstretched hand.

"Oh. Um. No, thanks."

Beast Boy still looked bewildered at her reaction. "Okay." He withdrew his hand, looking at her uneasily.

Raven could have hit herself. At least he hadn't seemed to catch on to what she had thought he'd been asking. Feeling guilty for startling him, she sighed, "Well, actually, I am a little hungry."

He smiled and held out his hand again, and she selected two chocolates. "I've never had one of these." She held one up, observing how the light reflected on the wrinkled surface of the wrapper.

"Really? They're pretty good. Actually, they just taste like normal chocolate, but hey – it's chocolate, right?" He yawned hugely. "Whoa. Guess it's time to head off to bed. Uh, later."

"'Night."

She watched him leave the room, then slowly unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into her mouth.

She smiled.


	23. Conviction

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cyborg/Jinx.

_Author's Note_: Well, this was _going_ to be a nice little "Beast Boy and Raven have a conversation" ficlet, but I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it. So I shall wait, improve it, and perhaps write it when there is time. :) In the meanwhile, please accept this small offering. I wish I had been able to come up with something better, but I'll try to make the next chapter worthier of your valuable reading time.

* * *

**Conviction**

_-an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence_**  
**

"Beast Boy, where is it?"

"I don't _have _it!"

"I know you have it."

"Search me! It isn't here! Look, do you really think I could hide it on me? I'm wearing _spandex_, dude."

"Okay, man, if my Game Guy isn't in my hand in the next five minutes . . . you. Are. Meat."

"Cy, how can you just assume that I took it? Does a _true friend_ just accuse somebody of taking their stuff without proof? You've got no reason to think I did it! Maybe you just lost it on your own."

"I didn't lose it on my own. It was on the table when I left it, and it wasn't there when I got back."

"How do you know it was me, though? Anybody could have taken it."

"Because everybody else on the team actually, you know, _cares _about respecting other people's property."

"Hey, I am totally respectful!"

"Ahem. Beast Boy, Cyborg? I am sorry to interrupt, but I found this under the sofa."

"What? Oh, the – oh. Thanks, Star."

"What is it? HEY! It's the Game Guy! Dude, _see_? I didn't take it!"

"Er. Guess not."

". . . ."

"I still think you would've taken it if I hadn't lost it."

". . . Yeah, you're probably right."


	24. Sacrifice

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: You guys have been so nice in your reviews, and I felt guilty about having two chapters in a row that I wasn't happy with, so right after I uploaded "Conviction," I decided to write this. I'm happier about it than I was about the last two.

* * *

**Sacrifice  
**

The girl lowered her hood, revealing violet eyes glimmering with hope. "So it can be done?"

"Yes," he said reluctantly, "but –"

She knelt before him, holding up three books. "Your payment."

The mage frowned, bending down to examine them. Then he gasped. "In all my years . . . why, I thought these were lost to the ages . . . ."

The girl gently brushed some dust from the spine of one book. "Not lost. Just misplaced."

"Priceless," he breathed. "I could never take this from you." But even as he said this, he reached out for one greedily, and she placed it in his frail hands. He turned the pages reverently, afraid that they might crumble to dust at the lightest touch.

"They're yours."

He paused. Then, with great regret, he closed the book. "I cannot do this. It would be wrong."

Her dark eyes flared a glowing scarlet, and he backed away. "You said you would do it!"

"My dear, please. I am just . . . . Well. You're just a girl – after this, there will never be a chance at a normal life."

Her laughter was sharp and too loud in the echoing halls. "I've never been _normal_. No, this has to be done."

"But you must be made aware of the consequences! To never feel again? It is not living, the sort of life you are choosing."

"There is nothing left for me to live _for_," she said harshly. She stood and thrust the books at him, and the weight of them nearly knocked him over. "Take them."

He looked up at her "You are truly willing to sacrifice happiness for control?"

"Yes."

He sighed heavily. "So be it."


	25. Party

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cyborg/Jinx.

_Author's Note_: Sorry about the hiatus. There's been a lot going on, and I didn't really feel up for writing, but this past week has been a much-needed vacation! Forgive me if my writing isn't really up to par. It seems forever since I've written anything!

* * *

**Party**

Raven walked by the kitchen counter where the boys were huddled in a group. The scene was seemingly innocent enough. Then she stopped. Backed up. "Cyborg, are you…crying?"

"There is a fiesta in my mouth," he said, tears streaming down his face. "It's painful but…so delicious." He clamped his mouth shut.

"I didn't ask for an answer in code." She turned to Beast Boy. "Explain. No. Wait. Why am I counting you for sanity?" She turned to Robin. "Explain."

He silently handed her a jar of salsa. The label featured a hot chili pepper wearing a sombrero. It grinned up at her and she sneered back. "Try our famous RED HOT BURNING SALSA OF FIRE. You'll be sorry!" read the label in garish green print.

"Tell me you aren't eating this. Tell me you're…starting a fire, or something."

"You're too late," said Cyborg, snatching the jar from her and dipping another chip in.

Raven saw that Robin's face was turning red. "Et tu, Robin?" She looked at Beast Boy. "Don't tell me that you actually _are_ the sane one here."

He grinned widely, and she realized he was panting. "You just can't tell I'm turning red 'cause I'm already green," he managed to say.

"Cyborg! You bought the salsa!" Starfire said as she glided in.

She heaped a generous amount of salsa onto a chip and helped herself. Everyone watched, eager to see her reaction. As she chewed, she began to look more and more confused. Swallowing, she looked up at Cyborg, appearing genuinely bewildered. "Cyborg," she said, sounding disappointed, "I thought you were going to buy the spicy brand."


	26. Heaven

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: This started out a lot fluffier and then sort of...ended, as I got pressed for time. Hope you shippers anjoy it anyway!

* * *

**Heaven**

It's winter, and it's freezing, and it's raining, and everybody's yelling and God for once all he wants to do is _sleep_. For hours, right there next to the window where the sun warms up the glass and the rug, and it's like a little slice of heaven. Nobody else really gets it, because sleeping on the floor isn't really the same unless you can take the form of a small furry quadruped, such as a cat. Which he can, so he does, but it's raining outside so there's no sun to warm up his spot. He hisses at the world in general and tries to find someplace warm.

The entire Tower is pretty much sub-zero.

The only place he's able to find that doesn't feel like it's coated in ice is in Cyborg's room next to the computer. Actually, it's nice, he starts to think as the low hum of machinery begins to lull him to sleep. Running twenty-four-seven, the computer has worked up a little circle of heat right around it, and if he curls up right up next to it, it's very toasty. He's able to drift off for…he's not sure how long, but definitely not long enough. He has forgotten that Cyborg doesn't let him near the computer anymore – "Anywhere within a thousand-foot radius of my room," were the exact words, actually. Cyborg, however, has not forgotten, and is all too happy to remind him.

"And stay out!"

Beast Boy hisses at the world in general and now also Cyborg specifically. He cocks his head and listens carefully. It is silent. He brightens. It must have stopped raining! He trots to his own room, still in cat form, and pokes his head through the doorway. His heart sinks. It's stopped raining, but the sun has set. He narrows his eyes and backs out of the room, listening once again. He slinks down the hallway, following the quiet murmuring to Raven's room. The door is propped open with a book, and he takes a risk and slips through. A blanket wrapped around her, she mutters aloud as she reads. When she shivers, he decides to take his life into his paws once again, because screw it, it's cold, and he leaps into her lap. Only after he's settled into the folds of the blanket does he dare look up, but she only raises an eyebrow and continues to read.

He gets away with so much more in animal form.


	27. Embrace

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: I declared Series of Unrelated Events on temporary hiatus a while ago on my profile. I've been getting Cs in math and that's just not of the good. I do have MCAS this week, and that means no math homework, and that means maybe one or two more updates this week, but I don't want everyone to be disappointed when I don't come back for a while afterwards. I **will **come back, though. I don't plan on abandoning this anytime soon.

That said, here is "Embrace." I am trying to practice more with description, as I tend to be too dialogue-happy.

* * *

**Embrace  
**

She clutched at the hot sand. A week ago today, she was sure she'd destroy the world. Now…she relaxed her grip, letting the sand run smoothly through her fingers. Now she could hear her friends behind her, yelling over who'd get the last soda in the cooler. Raven watched the seawater tickle her toes playfully. She fell back into the dry sand, roughness scraping at her back, and blinked away a stray speck from her eye. Dug her feet into the sludge under the water, pushing stones away with her toes until she had a perfect hollow sand hole for her feet to rest in. Closed her eyes, just for a moment. 

She woke up with a jerk to cries of dismay and nearly jumped up until she realized what the yelling was for.

"Just let it go!"

"That's our only Frisbee!"

"I will get it, friends!"

An orange Frisbee, launched by a super-powered arm, soared above her head and over the ocean, perhaps never to be seen again. She flicked an arm and encased it in black energy, sending it flying back to be caught in midair by Starfire.

"Thank you, Raven!"

Raven smiled briefly and lay back again. The tide was higher now. The sea breathed outward with a sigh, water moving forward to wrap her in its cool embrace. A tiny _splish_ of water against her cheek made her open her eyes again. She squinted from the sun, spots dazzling her vision.

"Raven," said Robin's voice from above, "I'm running to the vendor for everybody. Anything you need?"

She closed her eyes again. "No," she answered. "Everything's perfect."


	28. Ice

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: TT15Fics had a gift exchange. This story is for Nevermore Angel, who requested a Robin/Starfire based off the word "Ice."

* * *

**Ice**

She plays with Robin's hair as he sleeps, marvels at how beautiful this boy is. _Her_ boy. Her fingers follow the outline of his face. She taps his nose playfully and he wrinkles it cutely, but doesn't wake. She brushes some hair from his forehead and lets her fingers wander down to his mask, lightly tracing it, playing at the edges.

She doesn't even know what she's doing. She knows exactly what she's doing. Fingernails work gently at one corner until so very slowly, it begins to peel. Then it's off, in her hands.

His eyes are shut, of course. She gazes warmly at him, his peaceful face looking so boyish without the mask.

He opens his eyes.

Blue.

They're blue, and beautiful, and blinking sleepily at her, not registering anything but affection. He doesn't realize. He smiles that smile that always gives her butterflies deep in her belly – he looks so _trusting_ – and suddenly she doesn't feel butterflies or warmth. Only the icy knowledge of what she's done hitting her squarely in the chest so that she nearly falls backwards –

His eyes flutter shut again. He'll get up tomorrow and never even remember this.

She smooths the mask back over his eyes and then curls into him, whispering apologies, the repentant Psyche begging forgiveness. But he'll never forgive her, because he'll never know.

He sleeps on.


	29. Curtain

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Welcome back! This is based on a scene in _The Age of Innocence _that I hadn't read for over a year, but had stayed with me since I read it. When I saw the word, this came immediately to mind. I don't want to be one of those plagiarizers - I made sure not to look up the passage until after I wrote this last night, so that it would not become too similar. But I want you all know that it is, indeed, based on this. If you want to read it, it's page 115 in my copy, chapter fifteen. It's really a great book, though none of my friends seemed to like it. But you guys will because you're all _cultured_, like I am, right? (Ha. Honestly, it's just that I'm a sucker for romance.)

By the way. Oh, man. This is _so much_ more depressing than I meant it to be. Sorry, you guys. I've been gone so long and then I come to you with angst instead of fluff.

* * *

**Curtain**

"Nice day," Raven said from the door.

His shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly. "Yeah." He pushed back the curtain and gazed out at the perfect sky.

Today. Today, or never.

Suddenly the deep blue of the carpet was an ocean between them. He stood quietly for once, back to her. She had to be the one to cross. It took just a few steps, so much easier than it should have been. But what was left was an impossible gap, a hand's breadth of space that spanned miles.

Raven lifted one pale hand to touch his own, but she faltered. Her fingers curled into her palm, unwilling.

Beast Boy turned his head partway, just enough not to meet her eyes. His lips parted and he breathed in as if to say something.

They both heard the door downstairs slam.

"Terra's home," he said simply. His voice was hoarse.

Her hand pulled back, hesitated, and dropped. All that was between them was empty air, like the almost-link had never been there.

He stepped past her and out of the room, letting the curtain fall.


	30. Waiting

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: I uploaded this a week ago but it somehow did not show up, so I took it down again. I hope I didn't cause any confusion, assuming anyone got a story alert or anything.

I wrote this quite a while back, wasn't satisfied with it, left it sitting, found it when I sorted through my computer files, and edited it. Isn't it comforting that even fictional villains can suffer from mounting paranoia?

* * *

**Waiting**

_Tap, tap, tap._

Fashionably late, that would have been more her style. Instead, she left early, and now with no watch, she has no idea how long she's waited.

Maybe he just got held up.

Maybe he forgot she said today.

Maybe he didn't get the note in the first place. She grasps at these explanations, feeble as they are.

Jinx taps her foot harder.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Right. Well, now he's definitely late. She wonders if he's even planning to come. She'd been so confident at the time, just dropped the little note with the time and place, signed "J." Just so sure that he'd show. Even if he didn't like her anymore, at least he'd be curious as to why she'd want to meet with him. So she'd thought, anyway.

Maybe he never liked her in the first place. He'd faked everything else. He was secretly disgusted all along, and isn't showing up because he doesn't want anything to do with her after having to spend all that time with her.

What if he brings the other Titans? She'd already considered it, but thought that, hey, she could always make a quick getaway. But she's thought that before, and paid for it behind bars.

She should just go.

He turns the corner, sees her, stops short. Looks around nervously, and smiles. "Hey. Sorry I'm late."


	31. Magic

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: School is ridiculous! The homework makes me _unhappy_. Anyone willing to do it for me? (Hey, worth a shot.) Cheer me up. Send me candy, chocolates, brownies! (Answers to my math quiz!) Or at least verbal support or something, if you're one of those "it's the thought that counts" people. Pft.

All right, I don't think I'm supposed to give away writerly secrets and whatnot, let you do the interpreting, etc., but in case some of you were curious, this scene? Was what I had in mind when I wrote chapter twenty-four for the word "Sacrifice." Some of you had asked about Raven's motivation in that chapter. I think of this as a sort of prologue for Sacrifice, to tell you the truth.

* * *

**Magic**

The magic bursts forth like a dam's just been broken, dark and powerful and beautiful and indulgent, everything she's been keeping from herself. She laughs. Her laugh is deep and rich, like the power. 

"_Raven_."

She is a little drunk with it, maybe, but to reign it in would be...pain, like giving a blind man his sight for a day and then taking it back. And what she's doing is good, her conscience soothes her from the back of her mind, voice smooth and low, she's getting rid of the bad guys, it's all right.

"Raven!"

She hears them around the edges, the sounds outside leaking in like rainwater through the cracks in the roof. They don't understand, she's protecting them. This is what heroes do, they protect their friends and get rid of the evil, by any means possible.

"Oh, God, Raven, please—"

They're louder and even through the flood they call to her, over and over and over. She makes them stop.


	32. Friends

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: This is certainly different from what I'm used to writing. I can't quite put my finger on it, but everything just felt different when I read it over, and even when I was writing it. Maybe it was the music I was listening to! Writing these two as adults was probably it, and _not_ putting in the dynamic I am used to dropping between these two was a strange feeling. (Er. Shippers? Don't hurt me.)

* * *

**Friends**

"Seven years," someone says as he taps her on the shoulder, "and the first thing you do is come to the convenience store to get some gum?" 

It's not gum but cereal that she'd been reaching for, technically. But it doesn't matter, after, all, as she turns and sees that grin and all things sane and mundane fly from her head.

Raven might have said "I missed you" first, because it's the first thing that comes to mind, but she says, instead, "Hi."

He's still smiling but it's different somehow from a moment ago. "I missed you." Beast Boy'd always said what came to mind, anyway. He reaches past her and snags the cereal from the shelf. "Captain Crunch, Raven? Really? You _have_ changed," he asks as he puts the box in her hands like a gift.

"On sale," she says a little defensively, and drops the not-gift in her red plastic basket.

"Were you planning on visiting?" he asks accusingly, looking injured, still the open book he was when he left. He cocks his head and the crooked grin comes back as he eyes the cereal pointedly. "Maybe the Tower's not high class, but we've at least got pancakes for you."

She looks at his hand. "I might have been thinking about it."

Beast Boy follows her gaze and starts, then holds up his hand ruefully. "Oh. Wow. This got awkward real fast." He's traded in the gloves for an engagement ring.

She gives him a long, scrutinizing look. His worried eyes meet hers. It's a lot to ask to come to terms with seven years worth of unreturned calls and unsent letters and acceptance and moving on and closure, all in a minute of silence.

They don't quite manage it, but it's a close thing. So when, finally, she blinks and he scratches his nose awkwardly, her mouth turns up and she is able to say, "Congratulations, Beast Boy," and mean it.


	33. Nightmare

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: THIS WAS MEANT TO HAVE FLUFF AT THE END. Gah. I don't know what what my recent obsession with evil Raven is all about. Seriously, I think the alignment of the planets is out of whack. Where are have all my humorous, non-evil related plot bunnies gone? Possibly Switzerland.

Sorry about the little break. It was totally unintentional. More fic to come today.

* * *

**Nightmare**

As her birthday draws nearer, the nightmares get worse.

They used to be vague – silent, blurred visions of red skies and terrified, featureless faces. Now it's as if someone has pulled aside the curtain.

It always starts with the end. The world is still deathly quiet. Raven floats serenely above the earth, a goddess of nothing. Everything below her is still and gray. She sees individual faces, frozen in stone. They all stare at her, begging for mercy with their eyes, wanting to live. She hadn't let a drop of blood spill, but there'd been pain. She'd made sure.

But the worst, the worst is when she turns, and there _they_ are. _They_ didn't beg. Their eyes are cold and hard and accusing; _So this is what you've become? _

And it goes back, then, to them writhing, screaming, yelling at her, never for mercy but for – _What a goddamned failure, you tried so hard, and for nothing! We loved you, and this is what you do to us!_

She wakes up, and it's always herself screaming.


	34. Meow

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Er, I hope I still have readers. I signed up to write a Harry Potter fic and then procrastinated on it. Then I was struck with a sudden fit of guilt and refused to write anything else until the HP fic was done. Which it is, now! So I'm free to work on these again. :D

* * *

**Meow**

"Get that out of my face."

"But he's _cute_."

The mangy thing's fur is matted and it's missing an ear. One pointed tooth juts out of its pink mouth, uncannily identical to Beast Boy's grin. Already Raven is getting bad feelings about this. She narrows her eyes at it. She swears it growls at her.

"Raven, come on. How can you look at him and not say yes?"

"Like this. _No_. We have enough animals in the house, and that's just you. The last time we got a pet? It tried to _eat our house_."

"Don't bring Silky into this!" He brings the cat to his chest and scratches under its chin. "There's nothing wrong with this little guy that a few shots can't fix."

"It probably has rabies."

"No, he – he? She?" Beast Boy pauses and lifts the cat briefly, despite its indignant yowls. "No, she doesn't! Believe me, I know these things." He taps his temple. "Animal instincts." He peeks at the cat's face. "Plus, she's not foaming at the mouth. Wait, that's not foam, right?"

It hisses and claws when he attempts to hold it up for Raven's inspection, and Raven is equally disinclined to be near the cat.

"Aw. Look, at that. Raven, she's just like you!" He grins impishly. "Grumpy."

"I hate you. Both of you." She keeps her arms folded, the better to discourage placing the thing in her arms.

"Don't listen to her, Scruffy," he whispers in the cat's remaining ear as he carries it lovingly toward the other Titans. "She doesn't mean the stuff she says. You're gonna be with us a long time." The cat nuzzles into his neck. "What a sweet kitty, aren't you?"

Raven is sure it shoots her the evil eye over Beast Boy's shoulder.


	35. Love

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Some good old fashioned Cyborg/Jinx. Messing with her head is _one_ way to get the girl, apparently. :)

* * *

**Love**

"Are we in love?" 

Jinx taps his nose sharply. "Shut up, I'm busy kissing you. This is very important business and I can't be bothered with your nonsensical chatter. You'll distract me."

"_This _is important." Cyborg pulls back a little, and grips her shoulders. "Jinx. Listen. Am I in love with you?"

"What? I don't know. You're asking _me_?" She tries to pull him in again, but it's tough to overpower someone three times your size.

He grins a little at her futile effort. "Yeah."

"Define 'love,'" Jinx commands, narrowing her eyes. Being involved with a superhero, she's known she'd be in for the serious stuff eventually. She's already decided what she'll have to do when that happens.

Cyborg rolls his human eye. "_Love_ love. White picket fence love."

She steels herself. "No."

"No?"

"No. You want to end up with some cute young robo-chick and run off together. White picket fences aren't my style. You know I'm not into the whole long haul thing." She's frustrated, wondering why saying this is so damn _difficult_. She realizes she's gripping his arms like a lifeline and lets him go, maybe for the last time.

"Okay, then." He leans in again.

"Hey, hey, hey! Didn't we just—" _Break up_, she's going to finish, except that he obviously doesn't think so. And…now she's incredibly confused. She shoves him away. "What? What does '_okay, then_' mean?

"You just said. I'm not in love with you."

She opens her mouth, pauses, then angrily demands, "Why the hell_ not_?"

He just grins. Jinx's mouth drops open and she suddenly gets the feeling she's been duped somehow. She shrugs, decides that's something that a girl in her line of work can respect, and pulls him in for a kiss.


	36. Rebirth

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Ouch, almost no reviews, huh? All right, I guess I should step it up if I want any feedback, haha. Anyway, regarding this chapter. Um. So, I don't know if you might have gathered from the word, but the idea is that it's reincarnation, except now that I read it, I guess it turned out more like some random AU. I don't even know. Whatever. XD I hope it's interesting, anyway, and take it as you will.

* * *

**Rebirth**

"_...I mean, when is the last time you went out? You're obsessed, all you do is work, work work. Come on, I know how you like redheads._" 

"I'm a _cop_, of course I have to work. Should I neglect the safety of the general populace instead? My train's here, I have to go. And _no_ blind dates. Talk to you later."

Danny snapped his phone shut and rolled his eyes, stepping onto the train. He ran his hand through messy black hair and looked down at his briefcase. Should he take the train ride home to look over his notes again? He pressed his forehead against the cool metal of the pole – maybe, maybe he _was_ getting a little tense about work. This killer...every time he was in their grasp, he just _got away._

The next stop, and the doors opened. The current of commuters rushed past him, a river of black and gray. "Excuse me," someone murmured, pressing by.

He glanced up and met green eyes.

It was as if something missing fell into place.

"Do I..." he began in shock, reaching out because he had to, her hand brushing his, but she was already slipping away, pulled by the crowd, and this was all wrong, because he'd finally _found_ –

Found what?

And now the missing thing was falling away again. He didn't even know her.

But—

Another glimpse of red hair, a last confused look over her shoulder, her face, unfamiliar but somehow _not_, and in her eyes, something like recognition.

The doors closed.


	37. Merry

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Something for the new year. Merry 2007!

* * *

**Merry**

"Merry new year!" Beast Boy shouted, grabbed the nearest person, who happened to be Starfire, and kissed her on the cheek happily. "Mwah!" 

She giggled and pecked him on both cheeks. "Merry New Year to you as well, Beast Boy!"

"It's _happy_ new year," Robin said grouchily from Beast Boy's left.

"Yeah, but it's funnier if you say 'merry,' right? Want a noisemaker?"

Robin elbowed him sharply in the side.

"_OW._ ROBIN, WHAT THE—"

Three confused heads swiveled in their direction. Beast Boy was ready to point out to everybody their fearless leader's true, violent side but Robin smiled cheerfully and waved a dismissive hand. "It's okay, everybody! Just, um – look, fireworks!"

Beast Boy rubbed his side. There'd be bruising, he could feel it. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "If you didn't want a noisemaker, you could have just _said so_," he told his friend resentfully.

Robin was strangely cheerful the rest of the night.

Later, Raven smacked Beast Boy upside the head with a book.

Rubbing his head ruefully, Beast Boy wondered why he always felt like there was something he wasn't _getting_.


	38. Festive

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: I'm not getting alerts from FFN at all - review/author/story/private messages alerts, you name it. It's been happening since about the 26th, and I'm wondering if anyone else is having this problem. If you have, please let me know? (Not through PM, since I obviously have no way of checking if I've gotten any. Through review is fine since I can check that manually, or through email.) It'd just be somewhat comforting if I knew that this isn't only happening to me. If it is...well, hell, that'll suck.

Ha, the word this time is "festive," which of course has such cheerful connotations that I had to go and ruin it all with the most morbid story I was capable of writing. I don't know why I do this. Pure contrariness, I suppose:)

* * *

**Festive**

Overbearing walls, heavy shackles on slender wrists. And now, a visitor. 

The guards shouldn't have let him in.

He shrugs. "They don't care." The vivid colors of his uniform and skin are incongruous with the stark white of the cell. Purple, green. (Red, so much red.) Atop his head sits a garishly colored party hat. "Aren't you gonna ask about it?"

It's dumb.

He grins. "You'd think so. I think it's kind of festive."

What's to celebrate?

"Somewhere out there, it's somebody's birthday, right? Heck, could be mine. Or yours. I guess we can't know, though."

Sometimes she can almost believe he's real – only he thinks (thought, only past tense applies these days) up things like this, fanciful, random. Or maybe she's just crazier than she thought.

Slides down the wall, lands gracelessly next to her. "Maybe." The hat slips off soundlessly into his lap.

It's more of a question: _I killed you_. She doesn't apologize. He might give her forgiveness she doesn't deserve. (He was always like that, even at the end.)

He does anyway. Leans, shoulder brushing shoulder, but there is nothing to feel. "It's okay."


	39. Curse

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Utterly unexpected response to the last chapter! Not _bad_, just surprising. I hadn't realized how vague I was being when I wrote it. XD Sorry! People seemed to think the vagueness was okay, though, so that's cool, yay. To make up for the angst, I wrote a completely ridiculous ficlet for this word. I don't even know what I was thinking, except my first thought was "PIRATES." Haha. Beware my use of excessive italics.

* * *

**Curse**

Robin stared at the phone, gobsmacked, then put it to his ear again. "I don't think I understand, but – all – all right. If you say so. Thanks anyway." He hung up. "How – _how does the pizza place run out of pizza_? Tell me that!" 

Beast Boy gasped. "It's the CAAARSE!" He waggled his fingers mysteriously. "It strikes again!"

"The…curse?" Robin asked skeptically.

"The CAAARSE," Beast Boy corrected. "Like _pirates_. Duh."

Cyborg clapped his hand to his forehead. "Not that again, B. I thought we came to an agreement. _Not in public_."

"How else can we explain this, Cy? We've been cursed," Beast Boy added as he turned to Robin. "Obviously. You can't run into pirates and not get cursed."

"They weren't pirates. They were trick-or-treaters."

"CAAARSED trick-or-treaters! How else can you explain the stuff that's been happening to us since we ran into them? Titans Tower being toilet-papered when it's on an _island_? The TV shorting out just before I got the high score? Robin's hair being _inexplicably_ cemented solid by his shampoo?"

"That was you and Cyborg," Robin pointed out bitterly, unconsciously touching his hair in a rather shielding manner.

"_Inexplicably_ cemented," insisted Cyborg, suddenly taking Beast Boy's side.

"We have returned empty-handed!" announced Starfire, bursting into the room, Raven trailing behind her.

"The rental place…ran out movies, or something," said Raven, frowning in annoyance.

Beast Boy threw a smug look at Robin and Cyborg. "_Caaarse._"


	40. Eternity

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: I'm done with midterm exams. Thank God. I celebrate with fic!

* * *

**Eternity**

Beast Boy sat there for an eternity outside her door, ear pressed to the cool metal and eyes closed against the dark. He leaned there, just wanting to hear her breathe. Sometimes it helped him sleep.

Sometimes he drifted off there, cold, exhausted, thinking he could hear her. The sigh of breath, the quiet shifting of cloth.

He never dreamed, and he always woke up before morning.

It didn't help tonight. Beast Boy forced his eyes shut tighter, willing his mind blank. Instead, whatever imagined sounds he heard, soft sleep-breath or muttered words in dreams, only made him more alert.

Every reminder that she was only on the other side of the door drew him that much farther from sleep.

He finally buried his face in his hands, sliding them up and rumpling his hair in frustration. He stood, trailing his fingers across the surface of the door, then shook his head and pulled away. He'd sleep in his room tonight – or try.

Inside, Raven pressed her hand to the door.


	41. Fly

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Huh. Nothing to say this time. Enjoy! I love you all. Please review, for truly feedback is sustenance for the soul and ego.

* * *

**Fly**

When Starfire carries him into a fight, his body can still simulate the crazy, wonderful _whoosh_ feeling of a roller coaster – it's a revelation every time, and it becomes so clear why _joy_ is her trigger for flight. Sometimes he's wanted to ask her if she might carry him a little further, a little longer, just to prolong the thrilling jolt of his stomach dropping, the triumph of rising high above their enemies.He'll flip the channels and watch from the corner of his eye as Raven floats off the floor. He doesn't know what it's like to lift off on his own, without anyone's help. Instead of asking Starfire nicely, Raven gets to mutter three little words to herself, and suddenly the ground is nothing but a distant memory, miles below. 

He had to swat at the air when Beast Boy won a game the other day, because the grass stain couldn't just do a victory dance like a normal person. He whooped, leaped onto the couch to make a _totally_ inappropriate pelvic thrust, and then did a few obnoxious victory laps around Cyborg's head as a small green sparrow.

When Robin gets his stupid glider? That's the last straw. 

"Screw it. I'm making rocket boots."

"Cyborg? Cyborg, where are you going? Cyborg! We're in the middle of a figh – ow!"


	42. Picture

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven or Robin/Starfire.

_Author's Note_: Oh, Starfire. You know she'd be into all that colorful stuff. It's just so her. (She is so my second favorite character. After Cyborg. Of course. So much love, hee!) And this is Cyborg, still trying to come to terms with himself. It's a delicate balance, I think, the two separate parts of him can't be whole in his mind. He'll get there eventually.

* * *

**Picture**

Starfire's never been to an art museum before, and none of the others will take her because it's "not their thing" – he almost roped Beast Boy into coming with them, even though Beast Boy isn't into "that cultured stuff," but then he tripped over his own feet and broke a lamp, and Cyborg decided maybe an art museum wasn't the best place for Beast Boy – so Cyborg is the one who ends up going with her. He's not all into the art scene, either, but it's been a while since he's been out of the tower for anything besides a mission or a football game in the park. Plus, Starfire pulled that misty, dewy-eyed look that Beast Boy taught her.

He hates that look.

It's not that bad, really. They sort of end up following a tour guide around, trailing at the tail-end of a group of art students with distinguished goatees and sketchpads, so they find out more than they would have on their own. Cyborg didn't know what fucked-up lives some of these artists had, and it turns out being pretty interesting.

He pauses in the room of African art and lingers for a little longer than he meant to.

"Cyborg?" Starfire pokes her head in. "I thought I had lost you! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah," he says, shaking his head absently.

"The group is already downstairs, Cyborg. We are looking at abstract pictures! Such colors and…and raw emotion. Please, you must see it."

Cyborg tilts his head and grins at her. Her tastes are no surprise. "Sorry. I really like this section. Just give me a few minutes."

Starfire looks around dubiously at the browns and yellows that fill the room. "I, ah. It is quite nice? Very, it is very brown. Well, hurry back, I do not want to lose my friend again!" She smiles and darts off.

He chuckles, trying to see the room through her eyes. There are very few vibrant colors here – earthy reds and oranges are the closest you'll get. Somehow, though, he can't tear himself away. There's something about it. Like he could reach out and suddenly he would feel…he doesn't know. Just, _something_.

He realizes he's done just that, breathes a sigh of relief that no alarms went off around the wooden sculpture he's been standing in front of. He stares at the cold metal hand running down dark, carved wood and laughs a little ruefully, realizing he's as predictable as Starfire. For a second he has to shut his eyes against the sight, because he's afraid the clash of artificial and real will ruin the _something_.

Something natural, something organic.

He swallows and steps away, metal footsteps echoing.


	43. Crooked

Pairings: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: This is a bit, erm, longer than usual. This is what comes at BLATANTLY CHEATING and going over the allotted fifteen minutes.

* * *

**Crooked**

The couch was crooked, and they were Not Talking About It.

It might've been some underlying belief that the couch could be rendered un-crooked through sheer force of will (or, in this case, lack of it). They'd managed more impossible things before. There might've been an unspoken understanding that the first to crack under the pressure of Not Talking About It would be the one obligated to do something about it, which would involve _work_. It might've – actually, it would have been hard to say why exactly they were Not Talking About It, and it was probable that none of them actually _knew_, but one thing they did know was that none of them was going to be the first to stop Not Talking About It just to figure out _why_.

In any case, the couch, possibly tired of being Not Talked About for so long, chose a Sunday afternoon to give up on being simply crooked and go for broke. (Literally.)

It clearly had not taken into account that Beast Boy and Raven, the occupants of the couch at the time, both by now were well practiced in Not Talking About It (the right side of the couch had been sinking lower to the floor for at least a month now), and of course more than accomplished in being just plain stubborn in general.

So it really wasn't odd at all that the deafening _snap_ of the couch's leg was followed merely by the comfortable silence that had already prevailed in the room for most of the afternoon and, after a moment, the casual flick of a page in a book.

Pure stubbornness, however, is not a match for the laws of physics (usually). Beast Boy determinedly tapped at the controller in his hands and remained focused at the game at hand even as he slid inexorably down the suddenly very steep incline of the couch.

It was only when his elbow bumped Raven's that either of them seemed willing to acknowledge any change whatsoever in the situation. Raven did not move, but Beast Boy's gaze flicked from the screen to their elbows and he started, as if he could not imagine _how_ he could have made his way across two couch cushions like that. (Because of course there was nothing wrong with the couch. At all.) "Sorry," he muttered, already absorbed in the game again.

Gravity continued to be bothersome. He'd apologized and jerked away three more times by the time Raven, who seemed to have become increasingly annoyed at every "Sorry," finally gave him a glare. It was the glare he was used to getting when he was being particularly dense about something, which was weird, because he'd been expecting the one when he was either being clumsy or kind of annoying (there was a subtle distinction, and Cyborg still said there was no difference, but Beast Boy could _tell_). She got up and stalked across his line of vision, sitting down very violently on the other side of him and shoving him to the end of the couch, where she'd just been sitting.

He found the spot was still faintly warm and settled in, wondering absently if she'd fare better against the sofa's ski-worthy slope (or would have, if they were acknowledging that there was any slope at all, which they weren't).

He thought he was pretty close to collecting all the gemstones and finishing the level – the game was new and he wasn't sure how to play, exactly, but every game seemed to involve collecting gemstones anyway, and it was pretty much working out for him so far this time – when her knee touched his.

She didn't move, and she didn't say sorry, and Beast Boy's pixilated onscreen self promptly fell into a well and he was forced to start over.


	44. Us

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: I continue to be a cheating cheater who cheats. So. Tell me if there's anything up with this one, because I'm a little apprehensive. I tried hard to show rather than tell, but exposition has a way of creeping into my fics uninvited.

* * *

**Us**

They decided on a team name a few weeks ago. A _team_ name. Every part of her being fights the label, this lumping together of five separate identities into one crime-fighting mass of superpowers and flailing adolescent limbs.

People stop them and ask, "Are you the Teen Titans?" Someone always says, proudly, "That's us," and Raven scowls as she thinks she's never quite disliked a pronoun so much before.

Raven is and always has been an _I_, a _me_, and just because she's working with a few other people now doesn't change a thing.

There are things that are different, maybe, but they're not significant and they don't really count. She tries not to think about them because they make her uneasy, mostly because they seem so weirdly comfortable.

There's the group spending money jar on the kitchen counter like a symbol of miniature communism, the as of yet undecorated rooms that all still look alike, and the mannerisms Starfire's been picking up – she heard Starfire say "Dude" the other day, though after the glare Raven shot her she doesn't think Starfire will be saying it again. There's the article in the paper that suggested matching uniforms, and the way their things keep finding their way into the open and getting mixed up until none of them can remember whose is whose anymore. She still doesn't know who the sombrero in the living room belongs to.

Raven cooks some breakfast and finds, halfway through, that without thinking about it she's thrown in the pan enough eggs for five people. She surreptitiously dumps them in the trash and retreats to her room after carefully brewing only enough tea for herself.

There's a meta-human running loose in the city that they _finally_ catch, a small-time criminal with a special fondness for jewelry stores with poor security. Cyborg tracks him down in a sewer. Others wouldn't have understood Robin's subtle nod and the slight jerk of his hand that says _Here he is_ and _You on that side_ and _Wait for him right there_. But they all see and know and fall easily into position. Echoing through the tunnels and coming nearer, there's excited barking that changes into howling and then growling, followed by a terrified scream, and with a blast of electric blue and unearthly green that blows the manhole cover into the air, the guy comes barreling out of the sewer gibbering about wolves and robots. All it takes then is a neat blow to the head from Robin and he tumbles neatly into Raven's arms. He struggles so pathetically on the flight to the police station that it barely takes any telekinesis to keep him in line at all.

They celebrate with pizza and Robin smirks, "That'll teach him to mess with us," and Raven blinks and looks around the table and sees, for the first time, a _team_. 


	45. Brilliant

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cyborg/Jinx.

_Author's Note_: Little bit inspired by the show _Heroes_, I've got to admit. And possibly the third X-Men movie. I don't know, maybe this is just a recurring sort of plotline. Forgive me!

* * *

**Brilliant**

She visibly gives in. She seems to relax and explode both at once. It's painful when the black pulse throws him back, and for a second Beast Boy's sure his spine's snapped from the force hitting a wall thirty feet away, but at that moment all he can think and see is _her_. Saturated in apocalyptic red, the dark and brilliant center of destruction, she looks skyward, and it's the most at peace he's ever seen her.

He doubles over when a shard of glass catches him in the stomach. When he drags his gaze upward again, it locks with Raven's. Her eyes are widening, and he actually feels a pang for the loss of serenity that fills her expression. The sky is still red and the world still looks to be on schedule for ending, but she's fighting again, so he will too.

He doesn't know if the deafening screams are the shrieks of the whipping wind, or Raven. He can only struggle toward them and hope the pained cries don't belong to her.

He's only feet from the orb of black pulsating around her when he collapses, coughing blood into his hands. He has no time to be shocked at the red that streaks his gloves, or rub away the blood he feels smeared across his chin. He hauls himself forward and presses at the dark shield, hoping, hoping, and it's like he's at her door and praying that she lets him in all over again.

She does.

It's the eye of the storm, and the sudden hushed calm and the relief of reaching her is enough to make his legs buckle. He catches her shoulder with his free hand and pulls her to him, breaths ragged and loud in the silence, hope palpable, because if he's made it this far, what else is possible? 

Palpable, and fragile, and shattered as easily as two words: "_Do it._"

He coughs again, and his words are thick with blood and grief. "It's not _fair_. It was supposed to be over."

She meets his eyes. "It's never _over_, Beast Boy." Her tone makes him think they're at home again. How she manages to _scold_ him at a time like this, putting such disdain into her voice, even as she struggles to delay the imminent apocalypse, he'll never know. He laughs brokenly and thinks, as she closes her eyes and touches her forehead to his, that he's never loved her more than at this moment.

The knife is heavy in his hands when he lifts it. 


	46. Slick

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cyborg/Jinx.

_Author's Note_: OH CRAP IT'S BEEN A MONTH. Let's, um, not talk about that, and just assume I'm already languishing in my Corner of Shame, mentally berating myself for procrastinating even during summer vacation. Sigh. So, um, longish author note today, because of course I still haven't learned when to shut myself up. :) I've been thinking a bit, because there have been two reviews for the chapter forty-five, which I'm fine with - I'm not so spoiled that I expect some kind of overwhelming reception at every chapter, especially when you all have left so many amazingly kind reviews for other chapters already - but it's a couple or so less than usual, which leaves me wondering if anything was up with that chapter, quality-wise. And which leaves me to stress, and I realize I don't really say this enough, that **constructive criticism is totally okay**! So if you see a chapter that sucked, there is nothing like a nice suggestion of how to shape it up a little to get me to improve my writing, which is pretty much the _point_ of this fifteen-minute ficlet exercise. So if you see something in particular that could use work, definitely mention it - your opinions on characterizations, pointing out my gaping plot holes, and helping me out in my private battle against bad grammar and typos in my own writing. (Oh, gosh, _especially_ that last one.) Concrit can be tough for a writer to read, but you all are so nice, so I trust you, haha.

Not too sure about this chapter. Still trying to get back in the swing of things, really, so I apologize if it's not quite up to par (if I even have a par?). Okay, wow, I said this author note would be long_ish, _but it turned out to be just plain _long_. Oops.

* * *

**Slick**

He thinks he might hate her. 

Raven used to complain, sometimes, that Jinx always seemed to pick her out, like she saw them as, he doesn't know, witch rivals, or something – he doesn't pretend to understand Jinx. Lately, though (and after weeks of this, Cyborg's sure he's not just being self-absorbed), _he's _most definitely been her new…_target_. She's made it into a game, and very time the Titans run into her little gang, she's thought up a new little nickname for him, a new quip, and a new way to lure him off, away from the others, and without fail he'll find himself tracking her on his own, fighting their own private battle.

He thinks he might hate himself for following her every time.

She slips away, always, and he's starting to wonder if it's not his fault, his soft spot. This time, though, he's ready, and he's got her cornered even though she doesn't know it. When she leaps gracefully from the fire escape, she's lit just for a second as she passes through the street lamp's yellow shaft of light, and that's when he gets her.

He tackles her mid-air and pins her to the ground with maybe more force than he needed to, but he's learned not to underestimate her. She twists, like she expects to slip out just like always, but he's got her wrists, and she's finally forced to still, head falling against the rain-slick concrete too look up at him with eyes that are starting to widen with something like panic.

"You're not going anywhere, not this time," he says, hoping the relief isn't too evident in his voice. He doesn't want to _deal_ with this anymore, the game she's decided to turn this into, this complicated _thing_. He sighs and looks around, wondering if there's any rope conveniently stashed in this back alley, so he can keep her subdued until he gets her to the police station and out of his head.

Which is why he misses her smirk.

"You use that line on all your girls?" she asks cheekily. He blinks down at her, confused at her change in attitude. "Because I've gotta say, it's _working_," and she surges forward and presses a fierce kiss to his mouth before he even knows what the hell's going on.

He jerks back, letting go of her arms, of course, because he's apparently an _idiot_. He thinks he hears her yell sweetly, "Ta-ta, honey!" but can't be sure, because his ears are ringing from the blast of pink magic that's just thrown him back five feet and made her disappear.

He definitely hates her.


	47. Time

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cyborg/Jinx.

_Author's Note_: All they do is kiss, and I'm _still_ pretty sure this is the most sexual thing I've written for Teen Titans, because all I seem to write these days is UST - and, speaking of, me writing the characters into an _established relationship_? Someone please check the calendar, because I'm pretty sure today is the apocalypse. (And I think this is also the fluffiest thing I have written, not for Teen Titans, but for _any fandom ever. _It is a day for record-breaking, I suppose. And world-ending, of course.)

* * *

**Time**

"Beast Boy," Raven says shortly, even as her hand drifts to the back of his neck, "we don't have time for this."

"It's a stakeout, Raven," he sighs, exasperated. "I'm bored out of my mind, here. We've got nothing _but_ time."

He really is trying to not to be a total loser about this, this…this whole _relationship_ thing, keeping a cool attitude and acting like kissing is just another way to casually kill time.

Her thumb glides across the skin at the nape of his neck, but when he leans forward fractionally, she rolls her eyes and tells him, "Don't even think about it. Eyes on the bank. By the way, if anyone gets by? It's completely on you."

He tries to act like his entire body doesn't _hum_ with nerves when she's within a five-foot radius of him, and that whenever he touches his mouth to hers, excitement sings just under his skin like it might vibrate right out of him.

If he'd known he was going to be a total _girl_ about it, he might have reconsidered this whole girlfriend thing. (Except for the part where he completely wouldn't have.)

Throwing caution to the winds of Raven's mood, and her general inclination toward violence at any given time, he grins and scoots closer, until they're shoulder-to-shoulder. She glares, but it's a little half-hearted, and it's only a minute or so of casual silence and sidelong glances before she mutters, "It is _all your fault_ if Robin asks, remember that," and then she fits her mouth perfectly against his.

He tries to pretend that his entire world hasn't spun off-kilter from the first second of their first kiss, while everyone else seems to have taken it totally in stride (aside from the initial blank looks and incredulous responses of, "You're _dating_?").

He is really, _really_ not fooling himself.


	48. Desire

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: I had a Robin/Starfire chapter all lined up to go, but then it was past midnight, and my friend was like, _hey, happy birthday!_ And I pretty much went, _um, excuse me_? It turns out my birthday snuck up on me just as I looked away, the bastard. (Seventeen is looking to be a very sneaky year.) I thought it would be appropriate to post something on my birthday again - funny to think that exactly three years ago, I posted the last chapter of my first Raven/Beast Boy fanfic. I like to think that I've come a long way since then, at least in terms of sheer volume of fic, haha. I'm nearing the fifty-chapter benchmark, you guys! So, in commemoration of myself, I wrote a ficlet that's a bit about selfishness. And birthdays, of course.

* * *

**Desire**

Raven had a _birthday_. Huh. That was…w_eird_. He didn't know _why_ it should be weird. But, well. She just didn't seem like the type. That was all. 

Beast Boy gazed ponderously at the birth date displayed neatly across the screen, willing himself to shut down the computer and move. Birthday parties didn't plan themselves, and all that. He had to go tell the others—

Well. Actually. It wasn't like they knew he was snooping right now.

Possessiveness had welled up suddenly in his chest, a desire to keep this to himself, this little piece of Raven that no one else knew.

It was a stupid thought. There was no reason for him to keep this bit of knowledge and carry it around in his head like something special, not when it was just a little date on the calendar, when you thought about it – most people would tell you their birthday without batting an eye.

But that was just it, wasn't it? Raven wasn't most people. She guarded every bit of herself with an incredibly frustrating determination, but that only made _him_ more determined. It made every offhand comment on this or that book, or this or that food, every accidentally sincere smile and unintentional laugh, every part of her she forgot to wall up and lock up and possibly build moats around – it made everything she let slip worth snatching up and remembering.

And maybe someday, he'd gather enough pieces, put together the puzzle, and it would be _Raven_, and he'd suddenly…_understand_, or something. The whole puzzle, no missing pieces. And, selfishly, Beast Boy wanted to be the one to solve it. Her.

But the thing was, _she_ hadn't told him, hadn't let down her guard at his persistent prodding. He'd taken the easy way. Hacked into a computer system. (Although usually not a simple feat in itself, compared to cracking Raven's shell, hacking definitely was the easy way.) It felt unfair, somehow. He'd…cheated.

This piece, it wasn't his to keep.

Beast Boy shrugged and rolled his shoulders, shut the computer down, and bounded off to inform the Titans that they had a party to plan.


	49. Smile

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: Working on the whole part where I no longer can think of anything to write. But after several months, here we are again. This is, I hope is clear from the story, based in the universe of "How Long is Forever?" I missed you guys, and I'll try not to go on such a long hiatus again.

* * *

**Smile**

Robin holds up the disposable at arm's length and snaps the photo for them, reflected in the floor-to-ceiling mirror of the shop. 

The picture Cyborg keeps isn't the actual photo, the one pressed in a dusty album that's _maybe_ stored somewhere in the Tower, but isn't worth finding (the bitter memories are already sharper than any film). That photo has frozen smiles and wide, unblinking eyes all trained on the camera – but what does the camera matter?

No, it's the _picture_, just a moment or so after the flash, when the world comes back into motion and laughter, and they all turn to each other, the ones who do matter. They start to break apart from their pose – everyone in a neat row, arms thrown around each other, except for Beast Boy sitting on Cyborg's shoulders, ever the ham. They blink from the flash and jokingly snatch at the spots now floating just in front of their eyes, untouchable, and Beast Boy falls from his Cyborg-perch when he leans too far pretending to reach for them. Robin drops the camera catching him, and Raven still has her arm looped around Starfire's shoulders, supporting the other girl as she giggles helplessly.

Cyborg's right eye is dazzled from the camera, his world bathed in white, but the other eye is not so fazed – it sees the scene in the mirror in perfect digital clarity, and for a strange second he thinks, _yes_. This is what happy is.

He holds the picture now, in his head but never in his hands. No, that won't be in his grasp again.

(But sometimes he thinks of Star – _"Forever?" she'd asked_ – and her friendship beads and that one second where he'd seen them all in the mirror, and for a moment he swears that if he reached out, the spots of light would be within reach.)


	50. Villains

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
_  
Author's Note_: FIFTY CHAPTERS, GUYS. CELEBRATE WITH ME.

* * *

**Villains**

"If we don't get that chip before Slade, I am never forgiving any of you," says Rob. The others just nod, but Beast Boy laughs and leaps up, morphing. A lizard skitters across the ceiling and lands on human feet at the other side of the room. He slams a fist into the box on the wall until wires spark and the roving red beams flicker off. "In Slade's dreams," he tells them cockily as they catch up. Cyborg clicks his tongue at Beast Boy's lack of finesse in disabling the security system, but grins anyway. They're in. 

It's one of their easier jobs. Beast Boy doesn't understand Rob's worry until they burst into the chamber to find that one of Slade's men is already plucking the chip out of the safe. The five armed guards Rob told them to prepare for are scattered across the floor in varying states of unconsciousness.

Cyborg grins sharply, his right arm goes _clickclickclick_ as he raises it, and then the Sladebot is a mess of twitching, broken clockwork. Robin claps Cy on the back as Beast Boy darts forward to claim their prize from the wreckage.

Pain rips through his side, and he hears three sounds in quick succession – the sound of the gunblast that had taken a fraction of a second longer to register because of the shock, an efficient _snap_, and the sound of the guard collapsing on the floor like so much trash as Starfire releases his neck.

"I'm _fine_," Beast Boy is already telling Raven, who tears off bits of her cape to wrap the wound. She hasn't been able to heal for a while now. All she does is pull the makeshift bandage tighter and snarl at him not to _dare_ move, but it's true – already, the coppery smell of the dead guard's blood and his own, seeping through the cloth, is heightening his senses. His body tenses, keen for the hunt.

Beast Boy can barely hear anything over the _pumppumppump_ of fresh blood he hears coming down the hallway. Cops. His favorite prey.

"_Pretty_ please," he begs Raven, and she sighs but says, indulgently, "As long as you don't transform."

They go down quick and easy – most are still sizzling from the starbolts as they walk away from the scene. Beast Boy licks the tang of blood from red teeth and flicks the chip over to Robin. Rob tosses their new merchandise in the air, so it catches the light just so, before tucking it carefully in his belt. "How much do you think it'll get us?" he asks. Cyborg, black market expert of their little family, mentions that Professor Chang promised half a million, but speculates that Slade'll be able to pay at least two, assuming he's willing to finally concede that he's not the biggest and baddest anymore. He grins. "That's our job."

Beast Boy whoops. They're on top of the world, invincible. He feels like a fucking superhero.


	51. Slaughter

_Disclaimer_: Teen Titans belongs to Glen Murakami. I disclaim them!

_Pairings_: If any pairings show up, they're probably going to be Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire, or Cy/Jinx.  
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Author's Note_: I went a week without internet and I...wrote? Weird. So let's be honest, this wasn't inspired by the word itself, as I've had this idea for a little while. I do hope you recognize today's special guest.

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**Slaughter**

"We know you are here," Starfire says, voice echoing in the mist. Her body is cold and her mind numb.

Two hundred people dead, at the very least. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven are scattered across the city to mitigate the multiple disasters that are stretching the limits of their team, and all Starfire can do is pray they're among the survivors.

"Who are you?" Robin screams into the darkness. The rest had just been henchmen. Tools in plastic masks.

The real thing half-emerges from a dark nook in the alley, shoulders hunched and face obscured still by the shadows of the rusted fire escape that hangs above.

Starfire throws up a glowing hand, but he shies back into the dark. "_Guess_ who," he sing-songs savagely.

She throws herself forward. She should have overpowered him in a second. He has no powers. But he wrenches her hands behind her back, laughing, mindless of the starbolts that explode between them, and one terrifying difference between their battle strategies becomes obvious—that he hasn't given the first thought to whether either of them lives.

The realization stills her too long, long enough for him to press a blade to her throat. Long enough for her to feel him wrap one arm around her waist and spin her so they're both facing Robin, who is frozen, eying the knife. The man's breath is heavy in her ear. He smells like gasoline and paint.

Robin twitches forward, and she feels the man's grip slack a fraction as he readies for the attack. Her strength is more than enough to throw him off her—she flips him over her shoulders and slams him into the pavement, using the momentum to somersault onto the fire escape.

She swallows a gasp when she sees Robin in his arms, both illuminated by the yellow pool of lamplight at the end of the wet alley. The light glitters silver off the knife he holds to Robin's face, gripped like he's about to peel an apple.

"I know who he is," Robin snarls, but the blade presses to the corner of his mouth and cuts him short.

"Hush hush, birdie," the man cackles. Starfire's stomach roils when he throws his head back, exposing it to the light. His face is bone-white and his grin too wide for his mouth.

"Now," he says, and presses the knife carelessly closer. A bead of blood runs down Robin's chin, red as the man's smile. "Have I ever told you the story of how I got my scars?"


End file.
